Open seam plug and socket connector



Nov. 5, 1968 F. c. RoGGEvi-:EN

OPEN SEAM PLUG AND SOCKET CONNECTOR Filed March 9. 1966 INVENTOR. Fmoscus Comms Roaacvseu BY M, nm; f 875m( United States Patent O 3,409,866 OPEN SEAM PLUG AND SOCKET CONNECTOR Franciscus Cornelis Roggeveen, Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignor to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed Mar. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 532,905 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Mar. 19, 1965, 11,698/ 65 8 Claims. (Cl. 339-256) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plug and socket connector assembly comprises a plug connector member having a plug contact portion formed as a split tubular sleeve having an open longitudinal seam with a pair of opposed edges and a mating socket connector member having a socket contact portion also formed as a split tubular sleeve provided with an open longitudinal seal with edges along the seam inwardly turned to form inwardly directed opposed flange portions, the plug contact portion slida-bly fitting within the socket contact portion with the opposed edges of the plug contact portion engaging respective flanges of the socket contact portion at remote sides of the flanges and an outer surface portion of the plug contact portion engaging an inner surface portion of the socket contact portion at least at locations remote from the flanges.

The present invention relates to a plug and socket connector assembly for electrical connections.

Difficulty is experienced in producing plug and socket connector assemblies suitable for repeated engagement and disengagement and in obtaining high contact pressures. Connectors for such purposes usually tend to be of complex or expensive construction.

A plug and socket connector assembly according to the present invention comprises a plug connector member having a plug contact portion formed as a split tubular sleeve having an open longitudinal seam with a pair of opposed edges and a mating socket connector member having a socket contact portion also formed as a split tubular sleeve having an open longitudinal seam with edges along the seam inwardly turned to form inwardly directed opposed flange portions, the plug contact portion slidably fitting within the socket contact portion with the opposed edges of the plug contact portion engaging respective flanges of the socket contact portion at remote sides of the flanges, and an outer surface portion of the plug contact portion engaging an inner surface portion of the socket contact portion at least at locations remote from the flanges.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved electrical plug and socket connector assembly adapted to receive and detachably retain a plug member.

It is an additional object to provide a plug and socket connector assembly which maintains high contact pressure over a large contact area.

It is a further object to provide a dependable connector assembly which is of relatively simple construction.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there are shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention; it is to be understood, however, that these embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but are given for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in 3,409,866 Patented Nov. 5, 1968 various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the plug and Socket connector assembly in the engaged condition;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the connector assembly of FIGURE 1 in disengaged condition;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIGURE 3 but of a modified connector assembly.

The connector assembly illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 3 comprises a plug connector 2 and a socket connector 4. The socket connector 4 comprises a rear lead wire crimping ferrule 6 for connection to a conductor wire 38 and a forward socket contact portion 8 integrally joined by a transition section 10 of the form of half a frustum of a cone configuration. The socket portion 8 is formed as a split tubular sleeve having a longitudinal straight open seam 12 (see in particular FIGURE 2) at which edges of the sleeve are folded in as seen in FIGURE 3, to present a pair of inwardly directed substantially radial opposed flanges 14. The sleeve 8 is of substantially circular cross-section.

The plug connector 2 is formed with a rear crimping ferrule 16 for connection to a conductor wire 40' and a forward plug contact portion 18 integrally joined by a transition section 20 of the form of half a frustum of a cone configuration. The plug contact portion 18 comprises a split tubular sleeve having a straight longitudinal open seam 22 at which edges 24, 26 of the sleeve are opposed in spaced relationship. The edges 24, 26 are straight but slope rearwardly towards each other as seen in FIGURE 2 to present a rearwardly tapering slot 28. The mouth of the slot 28 is forwardly flared at 30 by arcuate edge portions. The plug contact portion 18 is of circular cylindrical form and has an outer diameter slightly less than the internal diameter of the socket sleeve 8. The tapered slot 28 is wider at its flared mouth than the distance between remote sides of flanges 14 (see FIGURE 3) and at its rear end is narrower than this distance.

In mating the plug member 2 with the socket member 4, the plug contact portion 18 is initially a free fit at its forward end within the forward end of the socket sleeve 8. The leading flared ends 30 of edges 24 and 26 of the plug contact portion engage the inturned flanges 14 of the socket contact on remote sides, and as the plug is pushed further into the socket the flanges 14 are cammed towards each other by the sides of the tapered slot 28. Thus the socket sleeve 8V is progressively wrapped more tightly around the plug sleeve 18 with area contact between an inner surface of the socket contact and an outer surface of the plug contact at least at locations remote from the flanges 14. By suitable selection of the inner and outer diameters of the plug and socket contact portions, the dimensions of slot 28 and the spacing between remote surfaces of the flanges 14, the socket contact portion 8 may be wrapped tightly around the plug contact portion 18 to effect substantially com-plete peripheral contact, the contact portion being subject to hoop stresses thus assuring high contact pressure between the contact portions.

In the modification of FIG. 4 like reference numerals indicate similar parts in the FIGURES 1 to 3 embodiment. The plug contact sleeve 18 is formed internally opposite the seam or slot 32 with a rib or corrugation 34. The rib 34 extends longitudinally of the plug sleeve 18 and is formed by an inwardly directed corrugation in the sleeve 18 which defines an outer groove or slot 36 opposite the rib 34. This corrugation serves to increase the resilience of the plug portion to circumferential forces generated by engagement of edges of the plug seam with the anges 14.

The edges of the plug sleeve 18 at the slot 32 may be parallel, the requisite camming action being provided by a flared entry such as 30 in FIGURE 2.

As an alternative or in addition to tapering the seam 28 of the plug, the seam 12 of the socket may be tapered. Several corrugations such as rib 34 may be provided around the plug.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art and various apparently different modifications and embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only.

I claim:

1. An electrical plug and socket connector assembly comprising a plug connector member and a socket connector member, said plug connector member being slidable into and out of said socket connector member, the plug connector member having a plug contact portion formed as a split tubular sleeve having therein a longitudinal open seam providing a pair of opposed edges, the socket connector member having a socket contact portion formed as a split tubular sleeve having therein a longitudinal open seam with edges along the longitudinal socket open seam being inwardly turned to present inwardly directed opposed flanges, the plug contact portion being slidably ttable within the socket contact portion with the said opposed edges of the plug contact portion engaging respective anges of the socket contact portion and an outer surface portion ot the plug contact portion engaging an inner surface portion ot the socket contact portion.

2. An electrical plug and socket connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which an outer surface portion of the plug contact portion engages an inner surface portion of the socket contact portion at least at locations remote from the anges.

3. An electrical plug and socket connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the edges of the plug contact portion at a forward end of the longitudinal plug seam are cured to define a flared entry to said plug seam.

4. An electrical plug and socket connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the edges of the plug contact portion are inclined rearwardly towards each other to define a tapered slot for receiving the ytanges to cam said flanges towards each other.

5. An electrical plug and socket connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the plug contact portion is formed with a longitudinally extending corrugation dening an inwardly projecting rib.

6. An electrical plug and socket connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the plug Contact portion is formed with a longitudinally extending corrugation defining an inwardly projecting rib on the base thereof remote from the longitudinal plug open seam.

7. An electrical plug and socket connector assembly comprising a plug connector member and a socket connector member, said plug connector member being slidable into and out of said socket connector member, the plug connector member having a plug contact portion formed as a split tubular sleeve having therein a longitudinal open seam extending the length of the plug contact portion and providing a pair of opposed edges, the socket connector member having a socket portion formed as a split tubular sleeve having therein a longitudinal open seam extending the length of the socket contact portion with edges along the longitudinal socket open seam being inwardly turned to present inwardly directed opposed anges, the plug contact portion being slidably iittable within the socket contact portion with the said opposed edges of the plug contact portion engaging respective ianges of the socket contact portion and an outer surface portion of the plug contact portion engaging an inner surface portion of the socket contact portion.

8. An electrical plug and socket connector assembly comprising a plug connector member and a socket connector member, said plug connector member being slidable into and out of said socket connector member, the plug connector member having a plug contact portion formed as a split tubular sleeve having therein a longitudinal open seam providing a pair of opposed edges, the socket connector member having a socket contact portion formed as a split tubular sleeve having therein a longitudinal open seam with edges along the open seam being inwardly turned to present inwardly-directed opposed flanges, the plug contact portion slidably iittable within the socket contact portion with the said opposed edges of the plug contact portion engaging respective anges of the socket contact portion and an outer surface portion of the plug contact portion engaging an inner surface portion of the socket contact portion, opposed edges of the plug contact portion at the leading end of the plug contact portion being spaced apart by a greater amount than the remaining portions o these edges and of the opposed anges at the leading end of the socket contact portion so that insertion of the plug contact portion into the socket contact portion eitects movement together of the turned-in flanges.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,125,816 8/193-8 Reynolds.

2,764,747 9/ 1956 Modrey 339-12 2,816,275 12/ 1957 Hammell 339-273 2,866,174 12/1958 Gorike 339-256 X 3,146,051 8/ 1964 Woofter et al 339-47 3,325,775 6/l967 Zak 339-256 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

PERRY TEITELBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

